May 23 - Spot-fixing updates

Times now reports that Gurunath Meiyappan has asked the Mumbai police for time until Monday as he is not in town. He has assured the Mumbai police that he will appear in person on Monday at 11 AM. The Mumbai police have agreed to his request and given him time until Monday.

18:30 - ICC withdraws Asad Rauf from Champions Trophy

The ICC has withdrawn Pakistani umpire Asad Rauf from the Champions Trophy, that is set to start next month, after media reports linked Rauf to the spot-fixing scandal. Asad Rauf has been umpiring in the IPL games and is under investigation by the Mumbai Police.

"In the wake of reports that the Mumbai Police are conducting an investigation into Asad Rauf's activities, we feel that it is in Asad's best interests as well as those of the sport and the event itself, that he is withdrawn from participating in the ICC Champions Trophy," said Dave Richardson, the ICC chief executive.

Zaka Ashraf, the PCB Chairman, said on Times Now that the umpires do not come under the control of PCB and added that it was an issue with the IPL, and not Pakistan.

"I'm just hearing the news about Asad Rauf. All I can say is that neither he went to India with our permission nor is he coming back with our permission. The PCB is not involved in this umpiring-issues. I don't know why things are not being tightened or managed in the IPL. If something is wrong, it is something to do with the IPL and not us. A lot of mud-slinging and other issues are cropping up so it is a wake-up call for the IPL. As far as PCB is concerned, we're going to have a board meeting and new rules are coming up. Umpires, referees are going to come into our domain. Whoever is a Pakistani will have to sign a contract now and there will be a vigilance system. Until now, umpires and referees are not in our domain but we're going to bring them in now. This thing has happened in India and not in Pakistan, so it is an issue for the IPL management."

Rajeev Shukla defends Srinivasan:

Indian T20 League chairman and union minister Rajeev Shukla Thursday came out in defence of BCCI president N. Srinivasan, saying there is no need for him to step down. "What is the need for BCCI chief to step down? If some MPs take bribe, does it mean parliament should be closed," Shukla told TV channel CNN-IBN. "Whoever is caught should be punished, but is there any evidence against him (Srinivasan)?" he asked.

Mumbai police issue summons to Meiyappan:

Mumbai police had reached Gurunath's house to interrogate him on the alleged links with Vindoo Dara Singh. Sources now claim that police have left the Chennai CEO's residence. They have pasted a copy of the summons on his door. The police have also said that if Meiyappan fails to appear before them by tomorrow, he will be declared as a 'fugitive'. According to CNN-IBN sources, CSK management will meet with the police officials today.

Delhi police want footage of all Rajasthan matches:

The Delhi Police have now asked the broadcasters to give them the raw footage of all the matches that were played in the league stage. Earlier, the police had asked for footage of only three matches but now it seems that all the matches will be scrutinized. According to TV reports, the Rajasthan team management has still not been given a clean chit by the police.

Kolkata angle emerges:

Times Now reports that 10 people have been arrested in Kolkata including one major bookie Ajit Sureka. The police have recovered some laptops, 12 mobile phones and Rs 3 lakh in cash from these men. Ajit is said to have also produced a bengali film and several TV serials.

Mumbai police refuse to share evidence:

Times Now channel is reporting that the Mumbai police are refusing to share evidence collected from Sreesanth's hotel room in the city with the Delhi police. Since the Mumbai police had no access to Sreesanth after his arrest by the Delhi police, they quickly did the next best thing. They raided his hotel room and seized his diaries, laptop and other electronic items.

Police arrest a bookie in Ajmer:

A bookie has been arrested in relation to spot-fixing issue by the Ajmer Police, who are refusing to divulge any details at the present time. According to 'Times Now' the Ajmer Police will wait for concrete details to emerge from the interrogation of the bookie, who has reportedly engaged in betting activities for the past 2-3 years.

Meiyappan not at his residence:

According to reports on 'Times Now', The Mumbai police crime branch have reached the residence of Chennai team principal Gurunath Meiyappan who is not present at his home. The Police do not have any indications about the current whereabouts of Meiyappan, who is also the son in law of BCCI chief N Srinivasan.

I hang my head in shame - Sports Minister:

Sports Minister Jitendra Singh said he has been forced to hang his head in shame due to the spot-fixing scandal, which is becoming bigger and murkier with each passing day. The minister said that a deterrent law could have prevented the credibility crisis that cricket is facing right now. "It is very shameful. As a young person, as a sports fan, as the Sports Minister of the country, my head hangs in shame today. There should be some mechanism so that it doesn't happen again. And it is not only about cricket. We are talking about cricket because of this expose but there are other sports as well."

Delhi Police asks Mumbai crime branch to hand over evidence:

The Delhi Police have written to the Mumbai crime branch, asking them to hand over the materials recovered from Sreesanth's hotel room. A laptop, an ipad and a mobile phone were among the items recovered from a room in a five-star hotel in Bandra that the tainted cricketer had occupied before his arrest on Wednesday night.

Mumbai police to quiz Meiyappan

According to the latest updates, Mumbai crime branch has just reached Chennai to quiz CEO and principal of the Chennai team Gurunath Meiyappan on alleged links with Vindoo Dara Singh. The police claim that call details of Vindoo Dara Singh have revealed that he was in constant touch with Meiyappan via phone-calls.